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getting to know Rut h Dyson Labour MP RUTH DYSON WAS RAISED as an army brat, the second child of four children, all of whom were born in a different place reflecting the frequent moves that army folk accept as part of their lot. With a huge family garden, an intense focus on sports and family time, and connections a high priority Ruth's active childhood was preparation for a life in politics. She first became involved in politics in community organisations and joined Labour whilst living on the West Coast because their values aligned with hers. She became the President of the Party during a very intense political time, in 1988; a big challenge for a 31-year-old. Five years later she was elected as the Member of Parliament for the seat of Lyttelton, now called Port Hills, held for the previous three years by National. Ruth is married to Martin and has two adult step-children and five totally delightful grandchildren. She cannot survive without a good vegetable garden, sea kayaking, tramping and music. What was your first significant political venture and what did you learn from it? I have been active in political issues since I was a teenager – opposing our troops being in Vietnam, the anti-apartheid movement, peace issues and anti-nuclear weapons, environmental issues and women's issues. I have always been passionate about social justice issues, but eventually realised that demonstrations and protests are a very small part of what causes political change – so I got active in Labour! At age 31 you became president of the Labour Party at a 'very intense political time'. What were some key experiences and what did you learn from them that has helped your career to date? My time as President was a very difficult time, when Labour in Parliament was really going off the rails and was constantly at loggerheads with our own Party. I learnt that the public do not like Parties that are tearing themselves to pieces, politicians who say one thing and do another (like Roger Douglas and Richard Prebble did) and that a "winner take all" approach, which was also the style of the Douglas/Prebble era, was really unhealthy! Your father and brother both represented New Zealand in water polo and surf life saving respectively. Was it ever expected of you to follow in their footsteps? I was never expected to follow my father and brother representing New Zealand in sport, but had I followed that path my parents would have done everything they could to support me, as they have with all my family in everything we have done. We all had a very sporting childhood and I love all sports still. We are all very competitive! The environment is clearly a major interest for you. How, in your opinion, has the National Government responded to the Rena disaster and how could they have done things differently? The whole country has been frustrated at the time delay that we had to endure following the Rena getting stuck on the reef. I have also been very frustrated with the varying excuses we heard from ministers. It could happen again at any time and we need to make sure that we have the equipment and the people to respond rapidly to avoid an environmental disaster. Where were you on the fateful day of February 22 and what were your actions after the quake struck? I was in Parliament in Wellington on February 22 when the earthquake struck Christchurch, and spent a long time trying to get back home, and get in contact with my husband, staff and friends. The phone lines were all out, and I watched the coverage on TV while making arrangements to get home. South Island airports were all closed, so I caught a ferry to Picton early that evening with Kris Faafoi, MP for Mana, whose family live in Christchurch and we shared the driving down. I have never been so relieved as when I reached home! At one point 28 people per day were leaving the region to live overseas. Is this still the case? What are you doing to encourage people to stay? There are lots of people leaving Canterbury to live overseas, some because they are scared of future quakes, others because they have lost their job and need to get work elsewhere. There are still many leaving. I think the Government needs to do more to put pressure on the insurance industry to settle claims so that people can get on with their lives, they should ensure that people have access to all the earthquake related information that they currently don't have and they should give better support to businesses so that we can keep people working in our city. What do you love about living in Canterbury? Canterbury is a very proud and supportive region with strong communities and passionate people. I am so proud of my electorate and constituents, particularly this year during these very hard times. We have beautiful beaches, rivers, the Port Hills and the Alps are so close. We have lots of green space and friendly and interesting people – why would you want to live anywhere else? What are your goals for 2012? In 2012, I know that we will still have lots of unresolved earthquake related issues, so I will be continuing to work hard for my constituents on these issues. After 18 years in Parliament have you mastered that all important work/life balance? This year has been a total failure for me in that regard because it has been so overwhelming with earthquake work, but I hope to restore my life as things progress in recovery here and be able to spend more quality time with our family and with friends. What is the highlight of your political career to date? I have had many wonderful times as a Member of Parliament and as a Minister and consider every minute of the job a privilege. It is great being able to help my constituents particularly at the moment, but at any time it is still the highlight of the work. HER MAGAZINE | December/January 2012 | 39